Look sharp: pencils for perfectionists

We all know how to make a pencil sharper, but how about pencils that can make you sharper? Like a grown-up, even geekier version of the personalised pencils from school days of yore, these particular sets of pencils have all been designed to set you right about the world as you write.

The title of these Know It All pencils says it all. They're decorated with useful facts for you to amuse your friends/distract yourself at work/cheat at pub quizzes with, ranging from the boiling point of water to Pi to 20 decimal places. They are from Present and Correct and a set of six costs £11.50.

I could well imagine those pencils in the possession of one of the biggest know-it-alls ever captured on film, Tracy Flick of Election. They'd be jostling for space in her blazer pocket with this set of 'Pick Flick' pencils available from TiniestJ's Etsy shop that are inspired by the film. Tiniest J specialises in movie-related pencil art (check out the sadly no longer in stock Rushmore set). The Flick pencils are $9.

If you want some pencils that will leave a much nicer taste in your mouth, take a look at the Action pencils available for £5 from Our Workshop. They're made by We Are What We Do who aim to change the world through inspiring people to take small but positive actions. The actions on the pencil include the social, such as writing to someone who inspires you, and the more environmental, like using both sides of every pieces of paper but my favourite touch is that the pencil that tells you "don't worry if you make a mistake" has its own rubber. All-in-all, they're pencils that have a very good point.